The invention relates to a vibrating teething ring. More particularly, the invention relates to a teething ring having a centrally located vibration generation device which transmits a vibrating sensation to an outer ring which a teething child holds within this or her mouth.
As a child's baby teeth begin to erupt through the gum-line, the child enters a painful period in his or her development, known as "teething". Since the only way that a young child knows how to communicate is to cry, the child continuously cries in response to his or her pain. It can be quite heartbreaking for a parent to listen to a child cry and know that the child is in pain. Thus, parents go to great lengths to help soothe the child's pain from teething.
An instinctual panacea for teething pain is to chew on small items. Typically young children attempt to chew on anything in sight in response to this urge, and to reduce the pain. Doing so actually enhances the natural eruption of the teeth. However, in an attempt at ensuring the child's safety, parents usually supply the child with so-called teething rings, and other semi-hard plastic and rubber toys designed for this purpose.
In a further attempt to soothe the teething child, some have proposed vibrating teething rings. U.S. Pat. No. 5,551,952 to Falgout discloses a teething ring having a teething member which the child places in their mouth, and provides adjustable vibrations emanating from a vibration mechanism contained therein. However, Falgout raises serious safety concerns, since the vibration unit, the switch, and the battery are all physically located so that they are within the child's mouth during use of the teething ring. If structural integrity of the teething ring were to be compromised during use, the child could be seriously injured. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 5,683,421 to Guarini et al. discloses a teething device in which the child might either place the battery compartment or the vibration motor in their mouth.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,649,964 to Berman et al. discloses a vibrating teething ring which includes a handle tube rotatably mounted at the center thereof. The handle tube is induced to rotate by the vibrating mechanism. The teething ring has several radial extension members which project from the teething ring and may be separately placed in the child's mouth. It should be apparent to any parent that several aspects of this device seem inherently unsafe for children.
While these units may be suitable for the particular purpose employed, or for general use, they would not be as suitable for the purposes of the present invention as disclosed hereafter.